The Book on Scott Elbert

Prospect Info

LADScott Elbert
Born 8/13/1985
LHP, LAD

If it seems like lefty Scott Elbert has been a prospect since the Golden Age, that's because he's been up and down the chart as much as he's been in and out of the doctor's office. But the Dodgers passed up Phil Hughes for Elbert (maybe foolishly, maybe not), and they did it for some good reasons. Still one of the minors' best left-handed pitchers, the first round pick Elbert has power stuff with an exploding 93-95 mph fastball and a sinker/slider that's best in class.

However, Elbert's delivery is unconventional, often leading to some disastrous walk numbers and a few fingers pointing him to the Instructional League. His control looked more in hand before his 2007 season was shut down for some (minor) cleanup surgery, and he missed most of 2008 recovering, but the Dodgers saw enough in his return that they brought him all the way up to the big league club in the fall, using his lefthanded lightning from the bullpen during the stretch run. Elbert's arm quality is very very high, and he seems to have the mental makeup to survive some bumps along his path to the majors. Since the combination of the surgery flag and his odd delivery may scare too many people into ranking him quite low, he's an excellent sleeper candidate for 2010-2011. Chad Billingsley and Clay Kershaw still get most of the attention in LA right now, but Elbert has enough raw stuff that he still might be the real future ace of the Dodgers.

Ranking in ScoutingBook (3/15/2010): #143

Ranking in Baseball America 2010: Unranked

Ranking in Baseball Prospectus: Unranked

Ranking in MiLB.com 2010 Season Preview Unranked

Ranking from the Sporting News: Unranked

Ranking from ESPN: Unranked

Player Updates and Notes

The Dodgers have called up Scott Elbert. He'll be used in long relief, but could see a spot start or two down the stretch.

8/29/2008 by DataBoy

According to the Dodgers' website, Elbert's new shoulder is not expected to be 100 percent by spring training. He'll make rehab starts in April with an eye to a formal debut in May.

1/17/2008 by KDaddy

The signing of Japanese All-Star Kuroda knocks Elbert back one more spot on the depth chart, making him less likely for 2008.

12/16/2007 by BallGrrrl

 

 

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